People with weight problems who take popular injected drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy to lose weight might have a greater probability of extreme stomach difficulties than they would have with some different weight loss medications, a new examination suggests
Researchers examined health and well-being assurance claims knowledge for 5,400 people with obesity, prescribed semaglutide (Ozempic/Wegovy), liraglutide (Saxenda), or Contrave.
Individuals who took Ozempic, Wegovy, or Saxenda were more than nine times as likely to develop pancreatitis as those who took the older pill.
Newly injected weight loss medicines have more than quadrupled the risk of bowel obstruction and more than tripled the risk of gastroparesis, or stomach paralysis, which can prevent nutrients from moving through the intestines.
“Given. the huge use of these drugs, these adverse events, notwithstanding rare, should be regarded by patients pondering about using them for weight loss,” lead examine writer Mohit Sodhi, a medical scholar at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, suggested in a statement. “The probability calculus will differ depending on whether a sufferer uses these drugs for diabetes, obesity, or normal weight loss. People who are or else healthy might be much less keen to settle for these potentially critical adverse events.”
Use of Drugs Like Ozempic and Wegovy Expanding Rapidly for Weight Loss
Ozempic, Wegovy, and Saxenda are GLP-1 drugs that mimic natural hormones that regulate hunger and fullness. They have been prescribed to about 40 million people in the US in the past year.
Some. Prior research has pointed to the potential for GLP-1 drugs to trigger common gastrointestinal facet effects, such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, and constipation. Some infrequent, however extra critical facet effects, like stomach paralysis and intestinal paralysis, have additionally been reported before
- A new study looks at the GI side effects of weight loss drugs in people without diabetes.
- Drug popularity boomed on social media, leading to shortages.
Some patients taking these drugs for weight loss have reported repeated nausea and vomiting, a condition called gastroparesis. This is the first large study to confirm this anecdotal evidence.
The. new examination examined health and well-being assurance claim records for about 16 million US. Patients and regarded folks prescribed either semaglutide or liraglutide, two main GLP-1 agonists, between 2006 and 2020. They included patients with a recent history of obesity but no historical past of diabetes. The last analysis included 613 folks prescribed semaglutide, 4,144 prescribed liraglutide, and 654 on the bupropion-naltrexone blend pill.
Severe Stomach Side Effects Still Rare With GLP-1 Drugs
Although the probability of extreme gastrointestinal occasions is much greater with the GLP-1 drugs, these situations are rare, as the examined authors are aware. For example, only about 1 % of folks on Ozempic skilled stomach paralysis
The study was not designed to show whether or not GLP-1 drugs directly cause gastrointestinal complications.
More research is needed, especially longer studies with more patients, to identify those at risk of serious gastrointestinal side effects.
Dr. Garvey says patients should get these medications from a doctor, not online, to discuss the potential risks. Patients with certain medical conditions should not take GLP-1 drugs due to the gastrointestinal risks.
Garvey says selling these drugs online is a dangerous practice that can make them available to patients at risk of harm. It also does not address other obesity-related problems that may require treatment.
